Diotima and Willy Chavarria among winners of 2024 CFDA Fashion Awards

The annual awards ceremony hosted by the Council of Fashion Designer of America (CFDA) took place last night at the American Museum of Natural History, where the council’s chairman Thom Browne welcomed honourees, nominees and guests at the opening.

This year, multi-award winning actress and singer Cynthia Erivo served as the 2024 CFDA Fashion Awards host, alongside fellow public figures who presented each of the awards to the respective winners.

Rachel Scott of Diotima and Willy Chavarria, the designer of his namesake brand, were the big winners of the evening, taking home the American Womenswear Designer of the Year and the American Menswear Designer of the Year awards, respectively.

Stuart Vevers accepts Innovation Award for Coachtopia

Rual Lopez of Luar was named the American Accessory Designer of the Year, while the Google Shopping American Emerging Designer of the Year winner was revealed to be Henry Zankov of Zankov.

American singer-songwriter Erykah Badu was named Fashion Icon, an honour previously bestowed upon individuals such as Zendaya, Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian.

Creative director of Coach, Stuart Vevers, was on hand to accept the Innovation Award presented by Amazon Fashion on behalf of the US label’s Gen Z-focused sister brand, Coachtopia. Ahead of Vevers’ acceptance, remarks from the likes of Charles Melton, Kelsea Ballerini and Jenny Freshwater introduced the honouree.

Journalist Hamish Bowles received the Founder’s Award in honour of Eleanor Lambert, while Michael Kors was presented with the Positive Change Award.

Other honourees included Annie Leibovitz, for the Media Award in honour of Eugenia Sheppard; the late Isabel Toledo, for the newly-renamed Isabel Toledo Board of Directors’ Tribute; Daniel Roseberry of Schiaparelli, for the International Award; and Stephen Burrows, the recipient of the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.